Virtual Reality Exhibition with Parsons School of Design XReality Center Celebrates the Wisdom of the Female Cycle for Women’s International Day. We are excited to work with Rinat Sherzer to design and develop the virtual gallery for “What Would The Egg Do?”, an online exhibition featuring a vast range of innovative and thought-provoking artworks, opens to the public Women’s International Day, March 8th. The exhibition celebrates the neglected wisdom of the egg and honors nature’s cycles.
The decision to launch the exhibition on Women’s International Day is on one hand an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women’s rights activists; on the other, it reminds us of the daily struggles that women, and especially women in developing countries and Black women, still face today. This date presents the opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a society and what we still have
to fight to achieve.
The concept for the exhibition was developed by curator and Parsons faculty Rinat Sherzer. Her TED Talk entitled “The Bloody Taboo With The Power To Change The World” has sparked new dialogue in an often-shunned topic. In it, she explains, “Our society today is programmed to achieve like sperm. Being competitive, fast and goal oriented.
One that idolizes scale, quantity, and constant doing over patience, discernment, and being.” Sherzer continues to explain, “In order to create life, nature needs both the sperm and the egg, and if sperm on its own cannot create life, then nor can a society that acts like it. The sperm and the egg are equally essential.
The goal is to integrate the masculine and feminine qualities we all embody, regardless of our gender identity.” The exhibition has been developed with the intention to give artists the opportunity to connect, practice, and create the wisdom of the egg. The female egg is precious, dynamic, and ever-evolving; it demonstrates life, death and regeneration. Its cyclical essence is aligned with many of nature’s systems, such as the seasons of the year and the phases of the moon. The four phases of the cycle offer a framework that can expand our consciousness from a narrow linear approach into a cyclical one that honors our place as part of nature.
The exhibition is based on an open call asking artists to create a four-part artwork over four consecutive weeks aligned with the egg’s cycle. It is a celebration of our differences, where artists from all backgrounds and identities are encouraged to apply. Over a hundred artists have expressed their interest and thirteen were chosen for the opening month. The artwork presented showcases an array of mediums, from glass installations, to textiles to video art. The exhibition is presented in a Virtual Reality Gallery designed by Maya Georgieva, Director of XR and HCI Labs and 3D work by Tomas Correa. The Virtual Gallery is one of the ways to participate in the opening and explore the art. We are excited to be a part of this creative partnerships.
